Courtney Lawes says scaling back training sessions has helped England
Friday 15 February 2019 17:20, UK
Courtney Lawes says scaling back training sessions has contributed to England’s turnaround in form in 2019.
After winning back-to-back Six Nations titles in Eddie Jones' first two seasons in charge, in 2016 and 2017, England struggled in 2018, losing their final three matches against Scotland, France and Ireland.
Two more defeats against the Springboks on their tour of South Africa brought their losing streak to five, before they finally got a win in the third and final Test of the tour.
That form led to questions over whether England were capable of achieving Jones' long-stated aim of winning the 2019 World Cup, but his side have emphatically answered those questions in the opening two games of this year's Six Nations.
England put in arguably the finest performance of Jones' tenure in charge on the opening weekend, as they outmuscled Grand Slam champions Ireland in Dublin.They followed that up with their biggest win over France since 1911.
Lawes says an increased focus on having fun in their preparation has helped their performances.
"We have adapted well - certainly in terms of what we do off the pitch, making sure we get together and we have a good time and we enjoy our training together," Lawes told Sky Sports News.
"We get excited to go out there and try to improve as a team and as individuals.
"We have adjusted training in terms of the levels that we were going to, which has helped a lot, and it means that come the weekend we are ready to go and we are excited to get out there."
Despite England's success, the players are keeping their feet on the ground and they know the narrative surrounding the squad could shift quickly if they fail perform against Wales in Cardiff on February 23.
When asked to rate how England have played so far out of ten, Lawes said: "Probably seven or eight. There is always room for improvement.
"We did not play perfectly. It is impossible to get a perfect game really but you always aim for it and that is certainly what we are doing."
Lawes impressed off the bench against Ireland and got the opportunity to start alongside George Kruis against France, with Maro Itoje sidelined by a knee injury.
Asked to appraise his own performances, Lawes said: "I think I am going pretty well. I can always rely on my defence and then I need to work on and build my ball-carrying and make sure I am good in the line-out for us.
"They are my key roles. As long as I get them right I am happy."
